A man is in custody after he had a near head-on collision with a Warren County sheriff’s deputy on Clay Street and then crashed the car he was driving into a dirt bank near a parking lot near the intersection of Clay Street and Mission 66.

Warren County Sheriff Martin Pace said the incident occurred about 12:45 p.m. Monday. He said Deputy David Culbertson was traveling east on Clay Street just east of the intersection of Clay and Mission 66 when he met a compact SUV moving at a high rate of speed and traveling in his lane.

Culbertson swerved to prevent a head-on collision, put on his lights and siren and made a U-turn in the street in an attempt to stop the SUV. As he reached the intersection of Mission 66 and Clay, he noticed the driver of the SUV had attempted to turn into a parking lot and ran into a dirt embankment.

The man, who has not been identified, was not injured in the wreck and was taken into custody on the traffic violations resulting from the incident. Pace said the man did not appear to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

“He is being evaluated for what may be a mental health condition and if that is the case he will be transferred to a mental health facility,” the sheriff said.